Promise Me
by Angelinsydney
Summary: IT IS COMPLETE. A heart-stopping, heart-warming story. Spike Scarlatti must diffuse a BOMB strapped to a woman's chest. It could possibly be his last...
1. The Woman at City Hall

_Author's Note: I noticed that new readers have been reading only the first chapter, I think I know why because I had the same issue of not knowing where to find the next chapter. On the top and bottom right hand side, you will notice the title of the chapter, if you click on the down arrow, the list of chapters will appear. I hope this helps. _

**The Woman at City Hall**

The "hot call" announcement sounded; Team One quickly dropped everything and gathered around the front desk. Sargent Ed Lane leaned on the counter, "Yeah, Sid…. What is it?"

"Bomb call. A woman has a bomb strapped to her chest. The caller said Officer Spike Scarlatti must attend to it."

Ed Lane stared mutely at his Team Leader and bomb diffusion expert, Spike stared back, confounded. Constable Leah Kearns said aloud, "That's kinda weird."

Sid added, "This is weirder, the caller said that if someone else attempts to diffuse the bomb, he would remotely trigger it."

"Let's go team! Sid, feed us on the fly."

"Yes, Boss. She's right outside Toronto City Hall."

They arrived at the scene and found that uniformed officers had already secured a wide perimeter. Evacuation of surrounding buildings was still in progress. One thing odd they all noticed was she had her back on them. Team One stood from a safe distance quietly observing. One of the uniformed officers gave them a short briefing, "She hasn't moved an inch in 15 minutes. We're not sure if she can't or wouldn't."

"Who phoned it in?"

"The call was made anonymously, said a woman was strapped with a chest bomb and he demanded Spike Scarlatti diffuse it. I was sent here to confirm whether it was a genuine threat or a hoax. I think it's genuine."

"You think?" asked Spike Scarlatti, his brow furrowing in uncharacteristic contempt.

"She wouldn't let me come near, kept repeating, 'Don't. He'll detonate the bomb.' She's terrified."

The bomb tech patted the officer on the shoulder, "Thanks buddy. Looks like this job is cut out for me."

Spike took a deep breathe and decided to get on with it. He put his vest on, and nothing else. First, he needed to determine was type of bomb it was strapped to the poor woman; whatever came next would pretty much depend on what it was.

He walked towards her confidently but felt his knees buckle when he came face-to-face with his wife. Winnie's face was streaked with tears, her hands were shaking and although it had been a cool day, sweat poured out of her, leaving a dark, wet patch on her white shirt.

She tried to smile, and raise her hands from her side. He took hold of them, caressed them, kissed them. He was determined not to cry, determined not to be beaten by his overwhelming fear that he might fail to diffuse this bomb.

The first thing Winnie said to him was, "I love you Michaelangelo Scarlatti."

"I love you Guinevere Camden Scarlatti."

Then, she said, "Whatever happens, promise me you'll live. If you can't diffuse it, promise me you'll walk away. Promise me."

He couldn't speak. All he could do was cry.


	2. Five Hours Earlier

_Author's Note: Set post season 5 x 12 and 13. This is Flashpoint 2. Spike Scarlatti, in a natural progression move to become Team Leader when Sam Braddock went on to head Team Three. _

_For back stories: Three new recruits joined Team One. They were first introduced in a one-shot Flashpoint-Criminal minds crossover fan fic story emtitled, "What's the Third?" They are Jean Martin, formerly of the Quebec SRU. Multilingual, sniper, martial arts instructor; not to mention tall and drop dead gorgeous. Aiza Yamamoto, second generation Japanese-Canadian. Multilingual, computer whiz kid, gymnast, parkour practitioner and cute as a button. Frank Knight. According to his résumé, also multilingual (British English, American English, Australian English, New Zealand English and Irish English), undercover specialist, frustrated comedian, but very deadly with a rifle. _

_Winnie became a full pledged CSI in the story "Full Metal Jacket." The blind golden retriever, Serenity Blue, was also introduced in the same story._

**Five Hours Earlier**

Winnie playfully kicked her husband under the blanket, "Your turn," she said in a whisper. He let out a sleepy "Hum?" pretending to still be asleep but he wasn't fooling her. "Your turn," she said again, this time she pulled the blanket off him. It generated a reaction, he turned around and looked at her with squinty eyes, "My turn to do what?"

"Feed the dogs." Moppet and Serenity were outside their bedroom door making a fuss. He was silent for a minute wondering how on earth these two still slept inside the house when he, at great expense and considerable effort, built them a doggie mansion. It's there in the backyard, a barren symbol of his love and devotion to them.

He turned to Winnie, "I have a better idea," he said thoughtfully, "let's get rid of them."

She pouted, "I'd get rid of you before I get rid of them," she said.

"What did you just say?" he replied.

"Nothing." She rolled out of bed, looking alluringly bedraggled, if there was such a thing. She was about to head for the door when she felt a sharp tug on the edge of her night dress, his old T-shirt, and heard him say, "Where do you think you're going?"

She fell back on the bed, Spike quickly straddled her, "You're not getting rid of me, ever." Upon hearing his voice, the two golden retrievers got all excited. Turning towards the closed door, Spike shouted, "Shut up" which excited the dogs even more. She laughed at him and he smiled at her.

"What do I get if I feed them?" he asked. She played with strands of his hair, glanced at the time and suggestively said, "Tonight."

Losing the smile, he said, "What's wrong with now?"

"It's six.. and you need to be out of here by seven or else..."

He tilted his head back and groaned, struggling to contain his arousal. But just to torture him, Winnie pulled him towards her and licked his lips. "That's very naughty, Mrs Scarlatti." She laughed and pushed him off. "Go, have a cold shower. I'll feed them."

Half an hour later, Spike joined her in the kitchen and helped himself to a bowl of cereal, which he literally drowned in a quarter litre of milk. "What are you up to, today Miss Sunshine?"

Her eyes twinkled, "I've been invited to a reception at City Hall. The City is honouring some of the best forensic scientists in the Province." He stared at her. Reading his mind, she smiled, "No silly... I'm not one of the honourees but Imogen Suzuki is, my boss. I'm just a tag-along."

"And a beautiful one," he said as he kissed the tip of her nose. "I better be going. Need to set a good example for the kids" referring to the three newbies in his Team.

He arrived at HQ at eight am for their nine am start. It was no surprise Sgt Ed Lane was already there. It's long been suspected that the Fearless Leader has a hidey hole somewhere in the building. "Boss, coffee?"

"That would be nice," he replied smiling. From behind, Spike produced a cup of Timmie's. Ed smiled, "Sit down."

Spike sat down eager to chin wag with the Sargent, Ed fired the first question, "You've been Team Leader for three months, what do you think of it?"

He smiled, tapped the table with his long fingers, "I like it. Don't know why I didn't fight you for it years ago," he said cheekily.

"Don't get too ambitious, Scarlatti," Lane answered quickly, poker-faced. "I just finished writing a report about your first quarter performance. Just sayin' here that you have no idea. No idea at all." He gaped at his Boss, not daring to draw breath. Lane continued, "Seriously, you have no idea how good you are." He laughed and covered his face with his hands.

Lane tapped him on the shoulder, "There's your team, I want them running on the threadmill until they pass out."

It was nine in the morning when Winnie arrived at City Hall and easily found her own way to the reception hall. She's been a Government employee for seven years but has never set foot in the famous landmark. She had no reason to visit, until today.

She heard someone call out her name, and knew from the sophisticated French inflection it could only be her manager, "Hey, boss." The head of her division was French Canadian, born in Montreal, raised in Toronto.

"How many times should I tell you my name is Imogen, not boss. Boss Suzuki just sounds ugly."

"I'm sorry, Imogen" she said with a smile, "well, look who's here?" She let him peck her on the cheek. Takashi Suzuki, Imogen's husband, was another one of the six honourees. The husband and wife team were formidable bright minds and advocates of medico-legal approach to crime solving and policing.

At quarter to ten, an anonymous caller phoned 9-11 to let them know a woman was standing outside City Hall with a bomb strapped to her chest. Fifteen minutes later, Constable Spike Scarlatti stood face-to-face with that woman, his wife.

He closed his eyes as he gripped Winnie's trembling hands; unable to stop the tears. "Something's wrong," murmured Sgt Lane. Spike heard his radio crackle, and forced himself to focus on the voice in his ears asking for an update.

"Boss, it's Winnie." They all stopped what they were doing, frozen on the spot. Their blood ran cold.

"What the fuck? Did he say it's Winnie?" said Knight.

"Shit," said Kearns.

Ed Lane automatically assumed the Team Leader's role, "Aiza, I need you in the Command Truck. Leah, stay close, you're my second. Knight, I need you to coordinate with all the unis, make sure everyone's been evacuated and the perimeter is tight."

"Copy," he said.

"Jean, find out what Winnie was doing here at City Hall."

"Copy."

Five minutes later Constable Jean Martin was back with Tack and Imogen Suzuki. "Boss, this is Imogen Suzuki, Winnie's Boss. Tack Suzuki, her husband."

Ed smiled tightly, "I know them," They shook hands. He and Tack studied at the Police Academy about the same time.

"Long time, no see buddy. I just wish we're not meeting under these circumstances. Imogen works with Winnie so I'll get out of the way... but I'll catch you later." He turned to his wife, "I'll be outside, honey."

With the exception of Scarlatti and Knight, they all gathered around Imogen, "Can you tell me what happened here?" asked Lane.

Imogen looked at their concerned faces, "Six forensic scientists, myself and Tack included were being honoured for our work. Winnie is my guest. We were in the reception hall around nine... we caught up for a little bit then we were ushered to our seats. I sat between her and Tack. Around 9:30, she excused herself to go to the ladies, when she didn't return after 15 minutes I went to look for her. She wasn't in there but her purse...," she gave it to Ed Lane, "...was. I found it lying next to the sink."

"I told Tack what happened, we decided it was so unlike Winnie to disappear like that so we alerted security. Not long after that, the building was being evacuated."

"We received an anonymous call at around 9:45."

"Boss," interjected Yamamoto, "whoever did this has to be close. Around 9:30 Winnie left her seat to go to the toilet. At 9:45 we got a bomb call. That's 15 minutes to abduct Winnie and strap a bomb on her. The subject has to be here, maybe in that building."

"Did you hear that, Spike?"

"Copy," he said as he wiped his and her tears away.

He helped her slow her breathing, he looked at the timer strapped to her chest, 4:47:01 it said. "What happened in the ladies?" he asked almost in a murmur.

She swallowed. Haltingly, she explained how it happened, "A man... he was wearing a cleaner's uniform. He knocked on the door. Said he was just bringing in a vase of flowers. I said, 'Ok..' He came in with his cleaning trolley. Before I knew what was happening, he had me in a choke hold. I passed out."

She was sobbing again. Spike wiped her tears encouraged her to continue, "He gave me smelling salt. When I came to, I was already here. And I had this strap to me. He said, he would detonate it if someone else other than you came to diffuse it."

She reached up to hold his face, "He said, he'd prove that he was better than you." She was in a panic now. "Promise me..." she repeated, "if you can't diffuse it that you would walk away. Promise me."

He looked at the electronic timer, the bastard wanted this to play out long and hard, 4:30:55 it said.

He gazed at her lovely face and said, "I only promised you eternity. Remember... that's what I promised you." That wasn't what she wanted to hear.

"Boss," he said.

"Yeah Spike."

"I'll put my mind on the bomb... you guys find the bastard."

"On it, Spike … on it."

In front of City Hall, they squatted down. Just the two of them. He begun to study the bomb...

Somewhere, not far, someone from Spike's past was watching. And he felt trimphant.


	3. Quandary

**Quandary**

They sat face-to-face. She smiled at him, to reassure him that she was fine. He looked at her tenderly and said, "Had you not married me, you wouldn't be here."

She studied his hands, her most favourite part of him, kissed them and said, "I've no regrets. I'd do it again in a heart beat. And again. And again." The Team heard it in their comm links and felt heart-broken for the couple.

He fell silent, the timer on her chest said 4:15:10. Time was certainly ticking by quickly and he hasn't done a thing for her. _I haven't done a thing for her._

The penny dropped! _This is exactly where he wants me to be. Helpless. Not in control. _The sprocket of his brain started to turn. Winnie queried him, "What are you thinking?"

"What made you say that?"

"I can hear the wheels in your head spinning, what is it?"

"I was just thinking this is what he wants. This is where he wants me to be, pinned down and unable to do something about it. I can't set-up the signal jammer. I can't form a tactical approach. He knew too, that I couldn't... wouldn't leave your side. If someone else takes my place, it might well be the excuse he needs to trigger the bomb."

Aiza jumped up as soon as she heard Spike mention 'signal jammer', _Why hadn't I thought of that. Stupid! Bloody stupid, _she berated herself. Sgt Ed Lane formed a smile as she rushed out to the SUV.

Thoughtfully, Spike said, "But there's a way... there's always a way." He looked down on the ground as he tapped the cutter against the grassy surface... thinking... formulating a plan. He noticed a small piece of fabric, he picked it up, "Does this belong to you?"

"No," she said, "That's part of his uniform. I ripped his breast pocket right off as I fought him. I must have been clutching it in my hand when I lose consciousness."

His eyes widened, "I have a plan."

"Tell me, please? I don't want to be in the dark."

"I need to be with my people but I don't want you by yourself, we need Moppet and Serenity here to help us, are you ok with it?"

She brightened up, "Yeah, I'd like them to be with me."

"Serenity will stay with you. Moppet will help us sniff him out, she has a good nose." She nodded slowly, every movement though seems to cause her vision to swim. Spike noticed, "I'll get us some food and water."

"What would you like?"

"I'd love to have some Thai... it's too early for lunch, I know."

"For my princess, anything," he said. "Don't go anywhere." He paused. He said the exact same thing to Lewis... He searched her eyes and said, "Don't do anything stupid because I would be angry with you forever. I would be," he repeated for emphasis.

"You gotta trust me, ok?"

"Ok."

"Promise me?"

"Promise."

The perimeter was set to 45 metres per regulation, so Spike had a bit of time before he reached the Command Truck. He turned back just to make sure Winnie was still there, not that she had anywhere to go. Itching to be back at her side, he accelerated to a run, Sgt Ed Lane met him, eager to find out what's on his mind. The Team gathered around him.

"Boss, this is outside the square but we need Moppet and Serenity...?"

Lane nodded, "I heard you buddy... anything. We don't have to stick to the tried and tested."

"Thanks Boss," he turned to Frank Knight, "Here's the house key, get the girls." The newbie was about to take off, when he called him back, "Frank, Serenity..."

"...is blind. I know. We'll be here before you know it."

"Aiza, I need your help to set up the radio frequency (RF) jammer." The SRU has in its arsenal a jammer that could be deployed to block radio, cellular and satellite voice communications. It could implement a jamming wave to block data reception of wireless networks. It could also be used to eliminate surveillance signals with video feed from ground and air-based reconnaissance devices. Aiza, nicknamed, The Wii One smiled and said she has done it.

Spike was pleased to find the portable jammer on wheels already rolled out, connected it to a DC battery power, antenna exposed, the activation switched turned on and they're in business. RF jamming was instantaneous, blanketing an area the size of a football field with radio interference to hinder the use of radio controlled bombs as well as radio communications. "But Spike, this means our comm links would now be useless," she said, stating the obvious.

He nodded, "Yeah, we win some, we lose some."

He scratched his head, it means he and Winnie would be isolated from his Team, unless they could find some way to communicate, "Aiza, get me a bino, does anyone here know Morse Code?"

Everyone looked around, but Jean Martin said he could sign, "My sister is deaf. I can go with you and translate for you. And we'll find another one to sign for the Team." It was the best they could do under the circumstances. "OK, Jean... find another sign interpreter." The young rookie turned on his phone, _Bugger no signal. _He looked at little Aiza who simply shrugged her shoulders. No choice, he ran all the way to City Hall to find a land-based phone.

"Leah, I need you to source a tent. It's going to be very hot soon, she'll fry out there. And while you're at it, could you get us water and food please. She's asked for Thai. She likes Pad Thai noodle with chicken." He was going to take his wallet out to pay for the nourishment, Kearns shook her head and said, "Just get her out of there."

"Boss, we'll need to find someone... building supervisor, janitor... anyone. We need to find all the cleaning trollies, dust them for prints, maybe he's in the system. But we'll wait for Moppet, she'll help us narrow it down."

Aiza piped up, "The jammer is up and ready... I'll go look." She turned on her ass not wasting a second to wait for an answer. Not long after everyone's gone to attend to their task, Ed and Spike walked back to the Command Truck, parked just outside the football-size range of the jammer, for a quick huddle. A call came through via Sam Braddock whose Team Three was manning the fort at HQ. Ed Lane answered, "Yeah Samo, what's up?"

"I have someone claiming to be the bomber on the line." Ed and Spike eyed each other. Taking control of the call, the Fearless Leader started with the usual, "This is Sgt Ed Lane with the Strategic Response Unit. Who am I talking to?" Sam and his Team gathered around the despatcher's desk to listen in. Performing their own vigil at the Barn, hoping and praying for a peaceful solution for Spike and Winnie.

The man sniggered, "I'm not interested in you. I'm interested in Scarlatti."

"I'm afraid he's not available... you have him sitting with his wife remember."

The bomber was angry at being played, "Don't you lie to me Sgt Ed Lane. He's in the Truck with you... so put. him. on. the. line.!" He slowed his speech for emphasis. The two men exchanged glances... _He's watching_,

Ed signaled for Spike to speak, "This is Michaelangelo Scarlatti of the Strategic Response Unit, who am I talking to?"

The bomber-incognito got excited, "Who am I? Who am I? Well, guess who. I'm the one you cheated out of my science award. I'm the one you denied! Now I will show the world that I'm better than you. That I deserved the prize, not you. NOT YOU."

Spike looked at Ed, puzzled. As calmly as he could, he replied, "Honestly, sir, I don't know what you're talking about." He honest-to-goodness didn't know what the man was rapping on about. He was genuinely at a loss. "Sir, would you kindly refresh my memory?"

"You're saying you don't remember me?" he said. He sounded so tightly wound up that any second now he could well spring out of his box.

Spike answered, "No, Sir, I don't remember."

"**WRONG ANSWER**!" He bellowed so loudly everyone listening jumped back to preserve their hearing.

"This will help you remember. **After this, you will always remember me**." Suddenly there was an almighty explosion, followed by unrestrained screaming from terrified on-lookers. Ed and Spike raced each other out of the Truck. Aiza froze, pale and shaken as she watched smoke raising off to the left of the Truck just outside the jammer's range. _The bastard knows our capacity and limitations, _thought Spike grimly.

When she recovered, Aiza gripped the arm of the building supervisor, "Stay here, you're safer here than outside the perimeter." He was shaking like a leaf. Constable Jean Martin rushed out of the City Hall building as soon as he heard the blast. He raced back to his Team, careful to stay within what he estimated to be within range of the jammer.

Fear for her well-being made him do it, adrenalin did the rest. Spike run to Winnie who was curled up on the ground, "Win..." He sprinted so fast he could have raced Usain Bolt and out run him. "Win," he caught a movement as she shifted. "Are you ok?"

She tried to sit up, but wobbled. He held her close, stroked her hair and whispered, "I won't leave you again." She laid her head on his chest, not caring anymore if the world ended in the next minute. She was beyond tired and beyond scared. She was in shock.

He repeatedly stroked her face, "Talk to me, bella. Talk to me." She rasped, "I'm scared."

"It's ok to be scared. It's ok. I'm here," he said. "Am not leaving you." It tore at his heart to see her vulnerable, fragile and wounded, "Everything will be fine."

Minutes passed, he murmured, "Do you remember the first movie we watched together at my place?"

She looked at him and smiled, "An Affair to Remember."

"Play a quote game with me, Miss Sunshine." A tear rolled down her face, _here they are in a life and death situation and he's trying to keep my mind off the danger_, "You start."

"Ok," he said, _"What makes life so difficult?"_

_"People?"_ she replied, quoting Nickie Ferrante.

He thought for a moment for something appropriate, then said, _"We were talking about the place where I was born..."_

_"I can hardly wait for you to grow up,"_ she replied, again quoting Nickie.

Just then, from the corner of his eyes, he saw two beautiful golden retrievers running to them. Moppet, the three-legged dog they adopted early in their relationship and more recently a blind-from-birth canine they called Serenity Blue. Moppet was clutching a leash attached to Serenity's neck in her mouth. Spike got up to give them a hug. "Gentle now... Mom can't play."

They didn't need to be told, Moppet barked and whimpered, alert to the smell of chemical strapped to Winnie's chest. "It's Ok, Mom's ok." Moppet stopped moving, she stood gazing at her Mom with those beautiful green orbs and walked slowly towards her, leading Serenity along. She gave them both a back rub.

Now Spike was in a quandary, he must take Moppet to his Team. As Winnie soothe the canines, he paced back and forth behind them, wracked with indecision. In the end, it was Winnie who told him to go, "Michaelangelo," she said, "Go with Moppet. I'll be fine."

He knelt down on one knee and said, "I'll be right back, I promise." He kissed her deeply, patted Serenity who stood quietly next to Winnie, "Watch Mommy." The dog's tail wagged, "Good girl."

He and Moppet raced back to join the Team, just as Leah returned with food and a tent.

Frank Knight was familiar with the canines, often offering to walk them on his spare time, "Frank, take the building super with you, find the cleaning trollies. You know the procedure, gloves, ok." He offered the piece of cloth from the bomber's clothes to Moppet to sniff, he hoped there was enough scent on it for the dog to work on. Then handed it to Frank, "She's got a good nose. Good luck."

In the back of his mind, he was sort of doubtful because Moppet was a trained bomb sniffer, not necessarily a human scent sniffer, _but she doesn't know that_. _And maybe the bastard is close enough for Moppet to sniff him out._

He turned his attention to Leah_, _"Thanks," he said. He took the food and water to Winnie and returned for the tent. For now, the least he could do was make her comfortable.

Sgt Ed Lane called for the cavalry, _Sam's deadly at geography_... Team Three triangulated the location of the blast to the possible range of a trigger switch; and, triangulated where he could possibly have eyes on the Command Truck. Between all of them, they hoped to catch the bomber. _The sooner the better._

Spike erected the tent over Winnie and Serenity, when he was done, he looked at the timer, it said, 3:10:16. He closed his eyes and prayed.


	4. Dead Man's Switch

_Author's Note: For back story: Wordy left policing for the private sector in the story entitled, "Beyond this Place of Blood and Tears." _

_The chemical foam spray mentioned in this story first appeared on season 2, episode 3 of Flashpoint called "Clean Hands." Fired from a gun dispenser, strings of sticky foam expand on contact and literally stop someone in their tracks, immobilizing them in a gooey mess in a matter of second. It was called "slush" in the script. However military and police technical manuals merely refer to it as "Sticky Foam"._

**Dead Man's Switch **

Winnie and Spike made the most of the situation and tried to enjoy their shared meal. He fed her just small chopstick amounts of Pad Thai noodle, conscious that she could actually hurl the food back out later. He knew the tension will eventually get too much. She was perhaps aware of it, too for she slowly chewed every mouthful before swallowing.

They felt weird, for lack of a better word, that they were sharing a meal together at such a time as this._ Hopefully, not their last_, neither dared to express the morbid thought that crossed their minds. If there was a source of serenity, it was Serenity herself. The blind dog stood by Winnie unperturbed. Every now and then, the faithful dog would nudge her out of her reverie, not letting her go down that road.

She has a sense of smell as keen as Moppet's but she has no fear of this bomb that's strapped to her, not having been trained as a bomb sniffer. To her, it was just something that smelt of marzipan. Spike reached out to stroke her neck, knowing she has absolutely no idea what could happen if he gets it wrong.

News has spread to those within their inner circle, members of Winnie's immediate family were informed as a matter of courtesy. Commander Holleran personally called her parents to give them assurances all was being done to get Winnie out of harm's way. Conveniently failing to tell them only Spike was permitted to diffuse the bomb. He reasoned, _What good would it do to them to know they could lose two members of the family in one go?_ Two uniformed officers were sent to their residence to sit with them in vigil. They would later say that it was pure agony to watch her Mom and Dad suffer in silence, helpless and despondent.

Sam called Jules, who was on maternity leave, just because he knew she'd want to know. She couldn't do anything to help with a baby to look after, except to _will_ Spike on. "Come on, Spike, you can do this," she murmured to herself as she paced the living room floor with Sadie in her arms. If positive thinking could save Winnie then she'd pour buckets of it into the situation.

Wordy heard the news first-hand from Sid. As a former member of the SRU, he stayed well-connected. He sent a text message to Sgt Ed Lane, "Thinking of you all" it said. Ed was sure if Wordy didn't need to be at work, he'd be with them. But realistically, there wasn't anything he could do. Three years on, his Parkinson's Disease has progressed so policing was no longer an option; so he moved on to join the private sector. But it was good to know, in fact very good to know, that his thoughts were with them.

Greg Parker personally heard from Ed Lane. He promptly delegated his classes to other senior members of his teaching team at the Police Academy. He knew where he'd rather be at this very moment.

The former Team One Boss climbed up the Command Truck to confer with his predecessor, to Aiza Yamamoto's utter surprise. She looked on the Man with glazed, twinkling eyes, like the Japanese cartoon character Sailor Moon, _It's not every day I get to meet a living legend_. The cherubic-faced former head of Team One smiled causing her heart to skip a beat. Ed Lane introduced the star struck rookie to his closest buddy and former boss, Yamamoto managed, what she would later critically describe as a 'dumb-ass response'. "How do you do, Sir?"

Parker replied, "I'm good… and you?" But before she could reply the phone rang, the subject calling yet again, "This is Sgt Ed Lane, what can I do for you?" he answered in a restraint manner.

The bomber who still at this point remained unidentified issued a demand, "I want the tent torn down. You have 30 minutes or I blow them up.** Thirty minutes**." He hanged up, not willing to negotiate the term. By this time, a signing translator has arrived on the scene, Jean Martin's girlfriend Maura, a sign language teacher. She raised a red flag to let Jean know to sight her in his binocular.

Using the American Sign Language, she told Jean Martin what the bomber wanted. The French-Canadian gritted his teeth and cursed under his breathe, he went inside the tent to let Spike know that the temporary shelter has to come down. "The bastard wants his viewing pleasure," he said grimly. "We have 30 minutes." Spike nodded, he had an inkling it would be the case anyway.

Thinking laterally, he didn't dismantle the tent, he simply escorted Winnie and Serenity out of it. He positioned them in the shaded side of the temporary shelter. He despaired that in another hour it would be high noon and there will be little respite for Winnie and Serenity.

He moved the three of them to the shaded side, which was slightly off centre of the west side. It was partly a deliberate ploy on his behalf; he wanted to know where exactly the bomber was situated; and, it worked. Five minutes later, the bomber called again, sounding irked and menacing. "The tent has to go. You have 25 minutes." That indicated he couldn't see them standing on the west side. Going clockwise, he moved the three of them to the northern side of the tent. They would keep moving until the bomber stops calling.

Spike approached Jean, "I have a recollection of taking out the top prize at a province-wide Science contest 20 years ago. We represented different high schools, so I don't know any of the finalists. One of them is the bomber."

"Well, that narrows it down," said Martin half relieved. "I'll let them know."

Martin raised a red flag; Maura put him in her sight. She conveyed the message to Ed Lane who in turn asked Aiza to search records going back 20 years. The young officer couldn't believe her ears, "Twenty years?" she repeated. "That doesn't make sense. That's a long time to be holding a grudge."

Sgt Parker spoke calmly and authoritatively... and kindly... informing the newbie, "It doesn't have to make sense to you and I, it only has to make sense to him." She looked at the 'Man who wrote the Manual' and said, "On it, Boss." Ed and Greg locked eyes and smiled.

Ten minutes went by and the bomber hasn't called, Sgt Lane called Sam to let him know. Team Three's main man cheerily said, "Well, then, it means we got it right. Our triangulation confirms he's somewhere north. Will let you know how we progress?"

Meanwhile, it took Moppet just all of 15 minutes to locate the cleaning trolley. As it turned out, she sniffed not the human scent but the trace element of the C-4 used in the bomb. The bomber concealed the vest bomb inside the trolley; and, once he has incapacitated Winnie and strapped the vest onto her, he put her inside it to be wheeled out onto the City Hall grounds. The entire process took him just 15 minutes; such was the efficiency of his planning.

The trolley was left not far from the rear exit door of the building, the bomber abandoning it in haste so he could leave the premises before police arrived to cordon the area.

Frank Knight, the building supervisor and Moppet returned to the Command post with the trolley where a finger print specialist was called in to dust it for prints. When a match came up, it matched to one of the finalists the year Michaelangelo Scarlatti took out the Science contest's top Prize.

The finger print specialist, a CSI herself, identified the bomber as George Lee, "He's in the system because he used to work for a private company with military contracts. He was doing classified research and development for them until a month ago." When Spike was told, all he could think of was, _Great, another deranged genius_.

Ed Lane didn't waste any time, "Frank, locate family members, we need to profile this guy. Get unis to help you."

"Copy that," he replied, hastening to check hospital records.

He turned to his second, "Leah, look for former colleagues, employers, therapist if any. I want anyone who can give us an insight to George's psychology. Get Sid to help you." Leah didn't even waste time to reply, she just went off to find a space to work on the case. Time was ticking away.

"Aiza, speak to the building super again… find out what George Lee was doing here. How he got into the cleaning crew?"

"Copy."

Spike concentrated on the vest bomb, deliberately ignoring the timer that was so in-his-face. There were multiple wires, all tangled in a mess, like spaghetti noodles. Worse still they were all the same colour, by some touch of irony he chose the one that denotes happiness and joy, yellow. Although he once read that yellow could also denote deceit and cowardice.

Looking at the tangle of same colour wires brought back memories of _Rafer Alston_, the man with a the death wish, who was responsible for…. He stopped his thought processes in its track. _There's nothing to be gained there_.

He decided there was only one thing to do, colour it himself. He spoke to Jean, "I need balls of wool, five different colours; sticky tapes and scissors. ASAP." He didn't explain what he needed them for, but emphasised that "It's urgent." Jean sent the message, highlighting the urgency. Ed sent an officer to get them without delay.

Minutes later, Ed's ear piece crackled, "Yeah Samo, anything?" The blonde warrior reported they have cleared three possibles, "one to go". Ed was excited, "That's great, Sam, you're team is doing great."

"Yeah Ed, but now that we know who we're dealing with I think this guy has a dead man's switch, a genius like that wouldn't go down easy." Ed felt his chest contract, anxiety etched deeply in the creases of his skin, "That's not what I want to hear... but you're right, besides we can't take any chances, we have to assume the worse. What's your tactical suggestion?"

"Me and my team, we'll dress down, no tactical gear. Go door knocking in the last building dressed as tradesmen. We'll clear the building in pairs; one of every pair will carry chemical foam spray."

"Good plan, go for it, Samo."

Sam briefed his men, paired them off and gave each pair a gun dispenser with sticky foam. "Remember guys, the range for this non-lethal weapon is short, the aim can easily go sideways. So be careful with your aim, no mistakes. We can't let him drop that switch or we'll be vacuuming Spike and Winnie off the grounds of City Hall." The choice of word was deliberately harsh and graphic but Sam needed every man under his command to understand the implication of making a mistake. "It wouldn't be pretty," he said.

Braddock patch through to HQ, "Sid, you have his latest photo for us, yet?"

"Uploading to your PDA now." Within seconds, their PDAs beeped. In the photo, George Lee appeared professional in his three-piece suit, silk tie, eyeglasses and trimmed salt and pepper hair. The face didn't have any distinguishing features. "Let's hope he still looks like that though. That photo was taken three years ago."

The last building has 14 floors, with only three pairs they wouldn't have time to door knock every offices. Using geometry, Sam reckoned the bomber could only be holed up at the top three floors and the roof of the building. "He can't be on the 11th floor or he couldn't possibly have a view of the Command Truck. Toby and Alex, Bravo One, take 12. Jess and Philip, Bravo Two, take 13. Bill… you and I, top floor. Any questions before we disperse?"

"I have one," said Alex, "Why can't we use Moppet again?"

Sam thought about it for a moment but decided it wasn't a good idea. "We could use Moppet if we were looking for a bomb, not a bomber. What if Moppet attacks and he lets go of the switch? It would be game over."

"Any other questions?" The silence that followed assured Sam they were all on the same page. They went to an adjacent building under construction and asked to borrow clothes from the work men. They prepared themselves to go covert, very much aware that _Spike and Winnie survival hinges on their success._

Meantime, the craft materials Spike requested arrived and he proceeded painstakingly looped the coloured wool around the wire. He saw the time, 2:00.04. He repeated Team One's mantra to himself, _Slow is Smooth. Smooth is fast. Fast is lethal._

George Lee amused himself by watching Spike loop strands of wool around the wires, he was sure as hell Spike would run out of time. The dead man's switch was lying beside him on the desk, his thumb itching to press the switch and then... let it go, "**Boom**!" he said to himself gleefully.**  
**

The first to return was Frank, with George's estranged mother no less. She was frail and stooped now, emotionally and physically tired. The first words that came out of her mouth was, "He always had it for Mike Scarlatti. It's a wonder it took this long. But I still can't believe it. I can't believe it."

The broken mother wept and found comfort in the arms of Sgt Greg Parker. He sat her down and said, "Why don't we start from the beginning?"

Back in the building north of City Hall, George Lee heard a knock on his door, "Who's there?" he asked angrily.

"Fumigator. We have reports of cockroach and bed bug infestation," he said. "We've been called to fumigate. It'll only take 10 minutes to spray. It's really quick."

"I don't need it." he said irritated

"That's fine, Mr Tenant, but you need to sign a form saying you're refusing service. You know how it is?"

George Lee took a step to open the door, "One can't be too careful," he said to himself. So before he opened the door, he armed the dead man's switch.

"Where do I sign?" asked the grumpy old man who didn't looked remotely anything like the man in their PDA. Toby handed the false form; not realising that the disheveled, bearded, unwashed man was George Lee.

The mistake would come at a huge human cost.


	5. Profiling

**Profiling**

Inside the Command Truck, the bald eagles got down to brass tacks. Sargents Ed Lane and Greg Parker interviewed Mrs Lee to get inside the bomber's head.

Sgt Parker looked directly into her eyes, the face lit up with that familiar, friendly smile, touched her reassuringly on her shoulder and said, "Let's start from the beginning." He turned to Aiza, "A glass of water please for Mrs Lee." The diminutive SRU heeded quickly, providing Mrs Lee with a plastic cup of water, doing the same for the two bosses on board.

She sipped from the cup to moisten her lips and parched throat. Hands shaking a little, she spilled some of the liquid down her shirt, "Sorry," she said. Ed Lane shook his head slightly and said, "Nothing to apologise for."

Her lower lips trembling, she proceeded to softly tell the story of their distant past. "George expected to win the top prize that year. You have to understand, there was never a competition he entered he didn't win but this one was special, it was Province-wide, the biggest... his Dad promised him a trip to Cape Canaveral if he wins the top prize. His Dad was an astrophysicist, part of the international team that was involved in space travel." Smiling, she added, "He took after his Dad's genius."

She paused. Swallowed before clutching Ed Lane's hand, "He never got to see Cape Canaveral." Eyes glistening with tears. "Never got to see where his Dad worked. Never experienced that time together because that day... the day the winner was announced his Dad committed suicide." Aiza who was listening audibly gasped, clasped her mouth and thought, _Oh my God_. Ed and Greg locked eyes, telepathically exchanged messages. In essence, they said to each other, _Our boy is fucked_.

Mrs Lee was sobbing uncontrollably now. She forcibly composed herself, "Killing himself had nothing to do with our son losing to Mike Scarlatti. Twenty years ago, men didn't go to counseling or sought help for mental problems. My husband... he hallucinated sometimes. Often couldn't sleep. Always chasing the stars and the dream."

She wiped the tears, Sgt Parker handed her some tissues. Trying to steel herself, she continued the heart-breaking story. "It was just wrong timing. His Dad has long been depressed. Long been struggling with himself. But George was just 15, he hated himself for failing his Dad. In his mind, if he had won it, his Dad would still be alive. I tried to explain it to him...I tried."

Both sargents were rendered speechless. It was as if time stopped but the reality was it was ticking and it was ticking crazily, frighteningly fast for Winnie and Spike.

She continued, "Imagine a white wall," she said. "Imagine a white wall with a nail on it. That nail was Mike Scarlatti. Everything that has gotten wrong in his life, no matter how small, was Mike's fault. Over the years, I have insisted that he go to therapy. He's gone on and off. Mentally, he knows it's irrational but in his heart, he couldn't get away from it. Couldn't let go."

She looked at the cup, it was now empty. "See this," she said, lifting the cup a little higher. She crunched it, the sound of the plastic cup crunching sent tingles up their spine, "That's what happened to him that day. His heart was crunched and it didn't bounced back."

"Every now and then, he'd track Officer Scarlatti down. It was easier when he was just a beat cop. But when he joined SRU, it was as if a blanket of anonymity suddenly shrouded your officer, there's little news about him. His name was never never mentioned in the papers but every time a bomb was diffused in the City he'd come home morose, repeatedly saying, _'I bet that's him that's diffused that bomb_.'"

"He Googles your officer and hardly anything comes up, and he'd say, '_Someone watching over him and cleaning him off the system_. _He's a member of the bomb squad, mother, so his identity's protected. But one day, we will meet again.'_"

"The last two years, he was happier, more settled, until a month ago. He didn't want to talk to anyone about it. He just lost interest with his work, quit and decided to do menial jobs. He said he was downsizing his life, these last four weeks I didn't know what he was up to."

At this point, Aiza interjected. "I spoke to the Supervisor, he said George Lee was hired as Christopher Lee through a blue collar agency. Budget cuts, sirs. City Hall only employs casual blue collar workers when they're short-staffed."

"His Dad's name is Christopher."

Parker gestured outward and said, "Something happened four weeks ago, we need to find out what. What drove a genius to leave a high-paying, secure job in a development firm and work a low-paying blue collar job and do this?"

Ed Lane called Leah, muttering to himself, "_We need our radio link up, stupid jammer._" He could use his cellphone being situated outside the jammer's perimeter but the problem was without the radio link, they were isolated from each other. "_I'd take fifty stupid subjects anytime..."_

Officer Kearns answered abruptly, "Yeah, boss."

"Have you located anyone, anyone at all?"

"Yeah, Boss... I'm parking the SUV now, will be there in 2 minutes." Leah and the George Lee's former boss arrived in less than two, what with the female SRU running at full speed, hauling the poor man along. By the time they arrived at Command Post, the man was close to suffering cardiac arrest, Leah whispered, "You need to go out more."

They heard her before they saw her, "Boss, Charlie White, Senior Chemist at Stirling Development."

He was invited to sit down, introduced to Mrs Lee before the two officers introduced themselves, Ed Lane went straight to business, "What happened with George Lee at Stirling Development four weeks ago?"

"He left the Company," he said.

Sgt Parker swiveled him around to face him, "We already know that... what we want to know is why?"

"He was passed over for a promotion."

Lane looked at Parker, "Is that enough of a tipping point? Enough of a stressor?"

Parker shook his head, "Thing is that doesn't help the Scarlattis?"

Charlie White queried, still unsure what the question has to do with Lee, "Who's the Scarlattis?"

"Our Officer, Mike Scarlatti... George Lee strapped a bomb on his wife's chest."

"Scarlatti," he repeated, "Canadian of Italian descent?" _Obviously genius_, thought Aiza. "The new boss... the one who was promoted ahead of him is Domenici. Canadian of Italian descent." _Shit_, they all thought. So that was another thing to hang on Mike, his perennial _nail on the white wall_.

Spike worked feverishly but carefully, Winnie smiled at him, "What are you doing?"

"Sorry bella, I didn't mean to ignore you. I'm looping strands of wool to the wires to give it colour. Just three loops. One, two, three, and I tape the ends. I could use coloured pens but they run... when that happens, I can end up with wires of two colours. I'd look at it and wonder", animating Donald Duck, he said, '_Is this supposed to be blue or red?'." _Winnie smiled despite her anxiety._  
_

"This way might take a little more time, but I can be sure of the colour."

He stopped for a moment, observing the 12 pipe bombs sewn into the vest, "See these pipes, that's where sharpnels are stored, when the C-4 goes 'boom' glasses, ball bearings, metal shards... they all go flying in all direction. That's the one that kills a lot of people. It must be heavy," he said concerned.

"It's actually not as heavy as it looks," she said.

"Not as heavy as it looks?" he said. "No," she said again. _My God_, he thought, his eyes widening. "I'll be right back, bella."

He conferred with Jean who raised the read flag. Maura sighted him in her bino, she turned to Leah who had also been watching, "Spike is asking for his bomb kit."

"On it," she said. She hefted Spike's kit and noticed the bomb suit laying next to it. She called Frank over, "Take the bomb suit. We'll take them all to him save him asking for it later." Both officers walked over. Spike smiled at them, "Thanks," he said.

Leah knelt down beside Winnie, cupped her face in her hands and said, "We're all here and we love you very much." Winnie smiled tearfully, "We love you, guys, too."

Spike jokingly told the women, "Normally, I'd tell you both to get a room but under the circumstances I think Officer Kearns you better get your big butt out of here."

Leah stood up, glared at him and said, "You better get her out of here Scarlatti or I'll fry your ass." Winnie laughed at the banter. "You guys are crazy," she said. Frank grabbed Leah's collar, started pulling her back, "One man down range."

Spike removed a devise from his kit, a hand-held gadget that functions similarly to a CT-scanner, the x-ray capability of this devise was up to 3mm thick. He scanned the pipes and they were empty, every single one of them. He gingerly disconnected the wire to one of them. He repeated the process, X-ray, confirm it's empty, disconnect. By the end of it, he was left with a detonator, battery, blasting cap, C-4. And still several more wires thrown into the mix to confuse him. It was a very cruel bomb.

He squatted down, sat on his feet. His hands on the ground, he leaned forward. "I need to take a breather," he whispered to her. She forced herself to smile but she could tell all was not well.

He turned to Serenity, "Watch Mommy for me."

Moppet has grown increasingly tensed as minutes ticked by but Frank, his occasional dog-walker, refused to let her off her leash. He couldn't risk her running off to join Mom and Dad. Dean Parker has arrived by this time, skipping classes but wise enough to disclose to the registrar of the Police Academy where he'd be. Last thing he wanted was the Academy phoning his Dad inquiring about his whereabouts.

He used to walk Moppet when she was a puppy, "Hey there, little girl." Moppet allowed herself to be hugged but then started to walk around, she was stressed. They watched her walk around in ever tightening circles. "Poor thing," Dean murmured. He knelt down to reassure her "It's gonna be ok." Problem was Moppet wouldn't believe him.

Spike walked behind the building, gave an upturned rubbish bin a good kicking, "Aaahhh," he let go of all the tension that's begun to cramped his muscles. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." Kicked the bin some more until he exhausted his anger. He expelled a deep breath, tried to loosen his muscles and walked slowly back.

Winnie glanced down on the timer, all this time she never did. Now it said, 2:00:07. _He's running out of time_, she looked at Jean, waved at him. She wondered if he was far enough away not to be collateral damage. She reached for Serenity, stroked her fur, she said, "Go to Daddy. Go, go to Daddy." She must have guessed what she was thinking for Serenity stood her ground. A tiny, barely discernible growl emitted from her belly, she visibly shook, the sound coming out of her a pitiful, "Er...er...er."

She begged the canine, "Go on, go."

She heard Spike's voice, "She's not going anywhere, il mio amore."

Despairing, he lifted her chin and said, "What were you thinking? You made me a promise. I know what to do... I'm fairly certain I got this. Trust me."

Sam and Team Three arrived back at Command Post, "No joy," they said.

"No joy," the others mumbled back to themselves.


	6. Tortured Soul

_Author's Note: I thank you for reading and for your patience. _

**Tortured Soul**

George paced the living room floor. The clutter inside the office apartment reflected the cosmic chaos inside his head. The last four weeks has been hell on earth. His fixation has turned septic; so septic it caused his mind and emotions to combust. It became an obsession that ate his very soul. _ He started it. If he hadn't been there... if he hadn't won that science fair contest unfairly my father would still be alive. And if were alive, I would have turned out different, my life would have been different._

Lately, he's been hearing voices. Prominently, his father's voice, asking, "_So what are you doing about it?_" Accusing, painfully accusing voice.

He scoped Spike Scarlatti through his binoculars. Watched him uncover the deception. Watched him removed his decoys. Watched him as perspiration trickled down his face, as his fingers trembled on occasion. Watched as Winnie grimaced with worry. _To hell with you_. He couldn't wait until the reality of their situation dawn on Spike. Y_ou'll figure it out sooner or later, won't you, Michaelangelo Scarlatti?_

At the Command Post, Sam Braddock climbed up the Command Truck. With Charlie White, Mrs Lee, Ed, Greg and Aiza, it was pretty cramp. The rest of Team Three had to wait outside. "No joy," Sam reported. "We've gone through every offices in four buildings on the North side, we haven't located him."

"The north side, did you say?" asked Mrs Lee.

"Yes, Ma'am, do you have information that could help?"

"My husband owned an office apartment in one of those buildings. He left it in his will to George but he never did transfer the title to himself."

"Ma'am, may I asked you to please step outside and point out the building to us? Just so we're clear." Mrs Lee rose from her seat, hopped down assisted by the T3's Team Leader. Upon sighting her, Alex and Toby looked at each other, the hairs on their arms standing on end. Toby spoke first, "Does she remind you of someone?"

Alex said, "Shit, the old guy... he looks like he could be related to her." Unkempt, gaunt, stooped, the 35 years old scientist looked far older than his age. He and Mrs Lee though shared the same facial structure; oval-shaped face, high cheek bones and the eyes. They simultaneously thought, _The colour of the iris_.

Toby hurried over to Sam, beating himself up, "Sam, we met George Lee, it's just that he didn't looked the one in the photo. I'm so sorry."

Alex butted in, "Toby, I was there, too. I was with you. It's not our fault. None of us would have been able to tell it was the same man."

Sam turned to Mrs Lee, "It's ok, ma'am. Go back to the Command Truck." But Mrs Lee stood stock still, eyeing every member of Team Three who were still wearing their work men's disguise. She looked at Sam with pleading eyes, "Please promise me you'll do everything you can to bring him back to me."

The blonde warrior was put on the spot, _How can I make such a promise? _He held her arms as if she were her own mother, "Ma'am," he said truthfully, "I can't promise anything. But we will try our best... to bring him home." Then he hugged the mother who for years has lived with anguish, and pain and unanswered prayers and sorrow for her son's tortured life - a life unfulfilled for all its potentials and gifts.

Ed Lane went down to get her back in the truck, mouthed "_Good luck_" to Team Three as they prepared to formulate a tactical op. They walked out of everyone's hearing range before stopping. Sam gathered his men for a huddle, "One thing is certain, it wouldn't be simple."

Toby, the bomb tech for Team Three said, "Sam, with the jammer's still in play so he couldn't pull off a remote detonation, not on Winnie and Spike anyway."

"It didn't stop him detonating one outside the perimeter earlier today," replied Jess. "We can only assume there are others."

"You know what's bothering me, guys? Who else wears a dead man's switch?" asked Toby.

They all replied, "Suicide bomber."

"Fuck, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Philip.

Sam replied, "If Spike successfully disarms the bomb, they're still not safe until we find George Lee, he's gonna take them out."

The former Commando looked at the building, studying it with his bino. Turning back to his Team, he gave a detailed Tac plan which involved a lot of risks and no protection. And he said so, "We can't knock on his door dressed in gears, we can get a lot of people killed. So this is entirely voluntary. If you don't want to do it, I'd understand and I won't think any less of you."

"I'm not going anywhere," said Bill. The rest said the same thing.

Sam explained, "Jess and Philip, tell the unis to extend the perimeter. Check every bins."

"Bill, you and I will rapel down and enter through the balcony. Toby and Alex, hard and fast entry. As soon as we're in, we cover him with the chemical foam. Assume dead man's switch is armed. Assume the worse." The men nodded, fully comprehending the tactical plan. So armed with only the rapelling ropes, chemical spray and ear wigs, Sam, Bill, Alex and Toby ran back towards the building.

Sam and his partner went to the roof whereupon Bill found some wipers used by window cleaners, "Sam, look at these." The TL smiled and said, "That would come in handy."

They rapelled down the side of the building, positioned themselves as close to the balcony as possible, pretending to be high-rise window cleaners. Sam whispered into his hidden microphone, barely opening his mouth, "On my go..." he said.

"Copy that!" replied Alex and Toby who were positioned with a battering ram outside the door.

Sam peeped into the office apartment through the huge balcony window, "He's pacing up and down the living room floor. He's holding a switch. Guys, spray, spray, spray. Cover him with the foam." He paused and waited until George was stationary. "Right guys, Go, Go, Go."

Simultaneously, Sam and Bill swung into the balcony. Toby and Alex took the door off its hinges, and sprayed like mad men. The arm holding the dead man's switch was close to his chest and was instantly covered in foam that became a goo-like substance but one arm was still hanging down his side. George Lee rushed to his computer, hit the space bar and remotely detonated a bomb hidden in a rubbish bin just as a uniformed police officer was peering down it.

The explosion blew the metal can out of its steel housing and flew into the air. Everyone looked up, screamed and ran in all direction to avoid the missile now coming back down to earth. The shattered and sheared metal can landed on the ground with an enormous thud. Thunderous screaming filled the air as people scattered for safety.

Spike covered Winnie and their dogs with his body. Frank made himself small, covered himself with a shield, which he had a good sense to take with him.

Jess' voice was the only other distinct sound to be heard, he screamed into their ear wigs, "Man down, man down. Fuck, man down."

He was the first to rush in, to give aid to the fallen member of the Force but he was gone. The impact so calamitous he was cut in half. Jess retched on the ground, shaken... distraught.

Sam felt as if earth had opened up and swallowed him whole. The human toll... the tragedy this has wrought upon so many had been too costly.

Sam yelled and gave the wall a good punching, the way he always gave vent to his rage. When he was spent, he placed a hand on Toby's shoulder. The young man was crumpled on the floor, in shock. His face was devoid of emotion, Sam knew it would take a couple of hours; after the shock has passed; before Toby would be assaulted with self-loathing, he'd think, _If only I recognised him sooner._

_If only-itis_, the first responders' disease.

"Not your fault," he said. "Not your fault."

Sam took one look at the bomber and knew instantly there was no point asking his help to disarm the bomb, he was too far gone in his hate and in his vengeful insanity.

He called Ed Lane to tell him they have the bomber in custody. But there was no celebration. No whooping to say, "Yes, we've done it." No happiness. No joy. Just stunned silence.

Mrs Lee cried and cried and cried. Cried for her son, herself and everyone he's hurt. _What in God's name have I done to bring this on to so many? _

Aiza stood up and headed for the RF jammer. She disconnected it, and instantly radio link was back on but no one had anything to say!


	7. The Bomb

**The Bomb**

The Emergency Medical Team attended to George Lee and the body of the fallen police officer who died to keep the peace and a number of wounded on-lookers trampled underfoot as everyone raced out of harm's way.

Team Three returned to SRU HQ to await the internal investigation unit who were coming to asked some hard questions regarding the operation. Sam called Jules just to hear her voice and to her know he won't be home for hours. She asked "Why?". He simply said, "I'll tell you later."

Minutes passed after the blast before anyone said a word or even breath out loud. The first word they heard was a tentatively spoken, "Boss?" Spike's voice was croaky, weighed down by emotion.

"Yeah Spike?" replied Ed, alert to his Techie lack of animation. A subdued Spike didn't mean good news. "Speak to me."

Spike got his brain in gear, so he could speak to them without losing the plot. "This bomb," he begun, gazing at Winnie who was desperately clinging to her last thread of courage. "is rather special. I'll start with the good news. The pipes, all 12 of them, are empty. No sharpnels."

He took one out of the vest pocket, raise it in the air so everyone could view it through their scopes or binos. He had disconnected them earlier by simply snipping the wire attached to one end of the pipes. He tossed it to the ground. He took another one out, tossed it out, too; until he has removed all 12 of them.

They all looked around to each other with furrowed eyebrows. "That's good, right, Spike. That's great," said Ed as he locked eyes with Greg Parker.

"The other good news is I'm ready, Boss."

"That's good," Ed replied. _But why in heaven's name is he acting so strange._

Spike kissed Winnie on her forehead, traced a thumb in her lips and whispered, "Be right back."

He went to Jean who was still on stag close by. He hugged the young man and said, "One man down range. And please tell Frank to let Moppet come." Jean Martin, who he has the pleasure of serving for less than a year, blew out air from his lungs and said tearfully, "See you soon, buddy." Spike nodded.

Jean walked back to his team and told Frank to let the dog loose. It was all the golden retriever was waiting for. She bolted out and with three legs ran to her family, golden hair flying in the wind. Spike awaited her arrival, she jumped up into his arms, allowed her to lick him happily before he set her down to be with Winnie and Serenity.

Spike removed his kevlar vest and the helmet that he was wearing which was regulation. They expected him to wear the bomb suit but he didn't. He headed back to Winnie and said "Are you ready?"

Ed Lane's voice crackled in their headset, "What are you playing at Scarlatti? Put that bomb suit on or I'll have your ass! That's an order!"

Spike looked to his direction, he knew Ed could see him clearly through his binoculars. The instrument was four times magnification. Ed saw the tiredness in his eyes, the exhaustion. "Boss... this bomb is very sophisticated. Normally, with a simple bomb, you cut one wire and the circuit is broken." Everyone listened intently, not wishing to break his concentration, he laughed softly, "Boss, don't believe the movies. _'Is it red? Blue? Yellow?' _That's just for entertainment."

"This however, had several wires that went beyond that. Cut the wrong wire, the timer would speed up. Or cut a wrong one and a secondary trigger will blow it up. The most dangerous part of bomb diffusion is opening it, that's why my tack knife is my best friend on the job."

He gazed at Winnie's face, replacing some stray strands of hair back behind her ears, "I uncovered the bomb and found the wires that really mattered,... at least I'm confidently sure I have. But with these things..." he left the rest unspoken.

He kissed her lips lightly, "It's a cruel bomb, Boss. It's meant to punish me, not kill me. It would be unfair to leave the diffusion to someone else, no one should ever be put in this place. Boss, he made sure there was only enough C-4 to kill one person, most of it was just putty."

"What I'm saying is... if... if I get it wrong... and I'm wearing a bomb suit, there is only enough C-4 in the vest bomb to kill Winnie. The last memory I would have of her would be seeing her disintegrate before my eyes." His voice hitched.

"If I wear my kevlar vest and helmet, I would be disfigured, blinded, disabled but I would be alive. Alive but alone, crippled, damaged and beyond repair."

He spoke directly to her, ignoring the multitudes listening in through their radios, "Without you" he said, "It would be fate worse than death."

She stifled her sob. And so did Leah, and Aiza and Jean and Frank and Ed and Greg and Dean.

It was a dilemma for Ed, _How the hell do I tell him its against protocol? _ He just thought fuck that, sometimes you just have to be a human being first before you're a cop.

The timer said 1:15:20, plenty of time but why prolong the agony. "Are you ready for this?" he asked her again.

She nodded, "I am and I trust you." It brought a smile to his face.

He looked down at the two canines, their daughters and companions, issued a stern command, "Go." But they wouldn't. "Ok then," he said.

He hugged her towards him, firmly, one ear next to his chest. "Listen to my heart beat," he said. He slowed his breathing down. Winnie closed her eyes, and listened. All she could hear now was the rhythmic double beats of his heart.

"_Dub, dub_."

"_Dub, dub_."

Aiza stood up from her chair, removed her earphones, turned to her Sargent and tearfully said, "Boss, I can't do this." Like a father bird who gathered his chick under his wings, Ed enveloped the youngest ever recruit of SRU in his arms. She cried quietly into his shirt.

In the silence, they heard Winnie say to Spike, "Whatever happens, we have eternity written in our hearts."

He replied, "To eternity."

They stood fused together for while, like a couple slow dancing to some inaudible music, and then...

And then...

And then...

Spike snipped the wire.


	8. Eternity in Our Hearts

_Author's Note: The lyrics of Bruno Mar's "Just the Way You are" was lifted from the public domain and used only for non-profit purposes._

**Eternity in Our Hearts**

Only he knew it was done, and here they were still standing.

He steadied himself before he announced it over the radio link, "It's over." No one dared moved. No one breathe a sigh! _Oh my God! __Could it be! Yes? No? _

He repeated the good news, "It's over." Winnie opened her eyes, stared at him and just... just... kissed him like there was no tomorrow.

It was Leah who recovered first, a rush of euphoria kick started her heart. Then her legs. She witnessed something that was for the ages, she yelled and said, "Fucking hell, he did it!" She ran towards them at speed. Dean followed. Then Jean and Frank and before long a whole heap of people had joined in.

Ed, Greg and Aiza climbed down the Command Truck. The Wii One joined the rushing crowd but not the two eagles. They stood where they were, arms crossed, grinning, shaking their heads. Ed turned off his comm link, turned to the Man who wrote the Manual, "Can you f'ing believe that?"

When Winnie stopped kissing Spike, she turned to see a crowd of people who love them rushing towards them like mega tsunami. They looked at each other with smiles that would be plastered on their faces for days. Then they ran to meet them. It would appear Canada won the ice hockey world cup game that day.

Ed Lane let them savour the moment before breaking up the party, "Ok, ok." He said, "I know it was epic. Sorry to break up the party but we've got things to do."

Spike faced Ed, "Boss."

Lane rolled his eyes, "Come here," he said as he grabbed him by the collar to give him a man-hug. "You always manage to scare the living daylights out of me. I don't think I will survive your term."

"Yes you would." Then he added cheekily, "You have no choice."

Ed laughed despite his still knotted stomach, "You're a good lad. Go see Greg," he said pointing out the father-figure before turning his attention to Winnie.

Spike walked over to Parker, "Thanks, Boss... for being here." The Big Boss simply said, "And where else would I be?" Spike fell into his arms for a hug that was both comforting and reassuring.

When they separated, he wondered aloud what brought them all here today. And why. "Boss, I don't even know what started all this..." he said exhaustion suddenly catching up on him.

Greg remembered they didn't have a link to Spike when they were profiling George Lee, he and Winnie being isolated on the grounds of City Hall. They sat down, side by side, on the steps of the Truck. For the first time that day, Spike learned of the truth in whispered tones.

He turned to his former boss, and said, "His Dad killed himself... on the day?" Greg Parker nodded. Then they were eye to eye; and if indeed the eyes were the window to the soul, then all Greg found there for George Lee was compassion. He put an arm around Spike and said, "It was just very bad timing."

In the midst of the mopping up operation, they noticed a uniformed officer went over to Ed Lane. They watched Ed gesticulate, then put his hands on his waist, then shook his head. Spike got up sensing it might be about him. Ed turned his back on him as he came near, drew a deep breathe before turning around again to meet him.

"What is it, Boss?"

"The hospital called. They want George Lee disarmed..." he said. Winnie overheard, she quickly walked over to Spike, stood in front of him as if to protect him from some kind of evil spirit, "I don't think so..." she said upset. Ed smiled at Winnie who had a look on her face that said, '_Don't make me scratch your face off_.'

"There's someone already there ready to do the job. They just want to ask Spike questions about the bomber's signature. That's all."

"I wanna talk to them in person," then he turned to Winnie, "if that's ok with you?"

She scrutinised his face, "You're just going to talk to them... you're not going near another bomb."

"I won't, promise. Take Moppet and Serenity to Mom and Dad. I'll be there before you know it."

"I'll take them," Frank said. Turning to the young rookie, Spike said, "Thanks."

He went with the officer to the hospital. In truth, he wanted to go to put a face to the name. He needed some sort of closure, and this would be a start. He arrived to find a bomb technician ready to disarm the devise. The bomb squad has removed the hardened goo-like substance from George's body to expose the vest bomb, but kept his hand encased.

He smiled at the squadron as they issued their collective "Congratulations". He felt slightly embarrassed by the attention, "Thanks..." he said, "So... what can I do to help?"

The team leader said, "This bomb is different from the other two... which by the way, were also different from each other. We can't see any pattern or signature."

Spike put his hands in his pocket, thinking. "From what I've been told, George Lee was a chemist not a bomb maker by inclination. These four bombs may be the first four he's ever made; and every one was experimental. I don't think he's made enough of them to establish a signature yet."

They looked at the X-ray, conferred. Put their heads together, and agreed on a solution. The only thing he added was, "Take him out to the hospital ground... you know, just in case."

They rolled him out in a hospital bed still sedated. The bomb technician asked the doctor, "How long before he wakes up?"

"Another six hours," she said, "But I don't suggest you take your time."

Fifteen minutes later the bomb was diffused. He asked permission from the attending psychiatrist to be allowed to sit with the sleeping subject. He said with a tired smile, "Don't worry, I have no homicidal thoughts." The doctor agreed sensing his need to be reconciled, in some ways, to the events of the past five hours.

As his tormentor George Lee laid prone in a medically-induced sleep, Spike sat by his bedside, watching the rise and fall of his chest through the thin hospital garment. He looked at the face that looked like it belonged to a 60-year old. He saw not the devil's face he half expected but a man flawed and broken. When he finally spoke, he simply said, "I'm sorry for your pain."

Beyond the darkened glass window, in the next room, Mrs Lee sat watching in pained expression, "I'm sorry, too, son," she whispered.

Later that night, George Lee would wake up from his sleep and headed straight down to a hell hole so deep his doctors wondered if his torment would ever end. When the news came through that the woman with a bomb strapped to her chest was rescued, he wailed and gnashed his teeth, and had to be sedated again. The doctor thought to himself, _There are fate worse than death._

After his bedside vigil, Spike was driven to his in-laws where he received a hero's welcome. Winnie knew he has arrived from all the commotion but didn't join in. _It's his moment now. _

He acknowledged the welcome, but eventually asked, "Where's Win?"

His Dad-in-law replied, "In her _mood_ swing." Winnie's parents kept the backyard swing where Win used to sit for hours as a child; especially when she's feeling strong emotions; whether she was happy, sad, confused, or angry. This was where she sought refuge and over the years, it was referred to as her "mood swing".

He walked to where she was. She sensed his presence and stood up quickly to hug him possessively, hungering to feel him next to her. He sat down on the swing, she sat on his lap. No words passed between them. Just being there for each other was enough. The adrenalin has died down, both of them felt physically deflated and slightly depressed. She cried on his shoulder; and, he onto her hair. Moppet and Serenity walked over, and sat at their feet. Several minutes later, he said,"Let's go home."

"I'd like that very much." For as much as they were grateful for all the people who love them and wished them well; today, they just want to be left alone. Their Dad drove them home in contented silence.

They reached home and fed their dogs; then laid intertwined on the couch. Stroking her hair, he asked, "If there's something I can do for you right now, what would it be?"

"Dance with me," she said.

"That would be my pleasure," he said. "My song choice?" She gave out a tiny laugh, "When was it ever not your song choice."

"That's because I'm smart. I always pick the right one." They got up wearily. He went over to his ipod and picked a song, the surround-sound enveloped the house with music. He gathered her in his arms and they danced... and he sang to her... the words he might as well have written because it was everything he thought of her.

_Oh, her eyes, her eyes make the stars look like they're not shinin'  
Her hair, her hair falls perfectly without her tryin'  
She's so beautiful  
And I tell her everyday_

_Yeah, I know, I know when I compliment her, she won't believe me  
And it's so, it's so sad to think that she don't see what I see  
But every time she asks me do I look okay?  
I say_

_When I see your face  
There's not a thing that I would change  
'Cause you're amazing  
Just the way you are_

_And when you smile  
The whole world stops and stares for awhile  
'Cause girl, you're amazing  
Just the way you are_

_Her lips, her lips, I could kiss them all day if she'd let me  
Her laugh her laugh, she hates but I think it's so sexy  
She's so beautiful  
And I tell her everyday_

_Oh, you know, you know, you know I'd never ask you to change  
If perfect's what you're searching for, then just stay the same  
So don't even bother asking if you look okay  
You know I'll say_

_When I see your face  
There's not a thing that I would change  
'Cause you're amazing  
Just the way you are_

_And when you smile  
The whole world stops and stares for awhile  
'Cause girl, you're amazing  
Just the way you are_

_The way you are  
The way you are  
Girl, you're amazing  
Just the way you are_

_When I see your face  
There's not a thing that I would change  
'Cause you're amazing  
Just the way you are_

_And when you smile  
The whole world stops and stares for awhile  
'Cause girl, you're amazing  
Just the way you are, yeah_

At the end of the song, he whispered to her his marriage vow. He thought about it long and hard before the wedding and decided he couldn't improve on the vow that has been said by millions before them and by millions after them so he went with the traditional Catholic marriage vow. _ "I, Michaelangelo Scarlatti, take you, Guinevere Camden for my lawful wife, to have and to hold, always, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health..." _

Except, the end, when he declared, _"til we have eternity in our hearts."_


	9. SHE

_Author's Note: Sis Rebecca first appeared in the story "A Pleasant Surprise." _

_She also appeared in the longer re-worked version called, "The Love Offensive: A Pleasant Surprise."_

**S.H.E.**

As soon as George Lee was taken into custody, Imogen Suzuki led an investigation along with three forensic technicians. In his office apartment, they found a list of attendees that was meant to be for the eyes of the Steering Committee only. She carefully placed it inside an evidence bag and went to City Hall to speak with the Manager of the Office of the Mayor.

Her investigation would reveal one critical flaw in security. The names of people attending the reception, honorees and their guests, were required to be submitted to the Office of the Mayor 30 days in advance for the sole purpose of vetting everyone on the list for security reason.

How George Lee got hold of the list was a result of an elementary mistake by a young clerk. She printed out a list, decided she didn't like the font she picked and tossed it out in the bin. Working as a cleaner, George picked it up. The name Winnie Camden-Scarlatti jumped at him from the page.

Posing as a member of the vetting committee, George Lee called the City's human resources department, he sounded innocently enough recalled the woman who answered the call. "He said, 'Scarlatti. Would that be her married name? Would that be Michaelangelo Scarlatti, SRU?'" That was all it took to steam roll a sinister plot that hurt so many innocent people.

The clerk was called to the Manager's office. She became distraught when told of her mistake that started it all. Imogen sympathetically told her, "It can easily happen to any of us. The only thing I'll leave with you is this – it's what the shredder is for. You guys wanted 30 days to get on top of security matters, instead it gave Lee 30 days lead time to prepare his bombs. It's all water under the bridge now but let's be more careful next time."

Three days later, they attended the funeral of the fallen police officer. Ed Lane spoke on behalf of Team One and everyone in the Force to thank the officer's family for the sacrifices they made, pass on the gratitude of the community and eloquently spoke of the fragility of life. "We are here one minute and gone the next," he said, "so it behooves all of us to live each day as if its our last and make every minute count."

Later that day at HQ, Ed and Sam caught up over how Team Three was coping with the aftermath of the George Lee saga. "We're doing it tough," admitted Sam which Ed appreciated wasn't easy to do considering the culture of machismo at SRU.

"We're going to group therapy sessions with Dr Luria," he said. "I just thought if my team could see my vulnerabilities, they wouldn't hesitate admitting to their own. We're in it together," he said, sounding wise beyond his years.

"Group therapy sessions," Ed repeated thoughtfully. "I wished I thought of it first. It's an amazing idea. Mind if I borrow it?"

Sam smiled, "Go for it."

Still in awe of Sam's novel thinking, Ed said, "Thanks, you know you're so full of surprises. Group therapy session... less confronting, builds trust. Powerful, really powerful."

The blonde warrior smiled, "Exactly what Jules said." Then he finally came clean, "She actually suggested it." They both laughed, Ed thumped him on the shoulder and said, "I thought it was too good an idea for you to have thought of it by yourself. By the way, how's Jules and Sadie?"

"They're my light. They're doing amazingly well. I feel left out sometimes."

Ed's smile broadened, "Count yourself lucky if you're feeling left out sometimes. When you have two, you'll feel left out most of the time. And don't say I didn't warn you."

Over the course of the week, Spike and Winnie were both warned by their peers, in so many words, that they would feel off-balanced, teary in Winnie's case, and easily provoked in the coming days. Heeding the warning, they went to see a therapist who told them that the trauma was no small thing, "No matter who you are and whatever training you may have had." But not surprisingly, in spite of the precaution things did get difficult, much to their misgivings.

One day, after a day of snarling at each other, Spike walked off leaving Winnie in tears. It didn't help that she was quite aware she had been unreasonable but couldn't stop the massive surge of negativity that seemed to permanently hang over her head.

Spike walked off his growing, nagging frustrations and found himself in the ground of his old high school. It was a place of happy memories, chiefly because of Sis Rebecca, a nun who made it her life's mission to embody the Spirit of Christ. Not that she wasn't scary because as Spike and his cohorts often recalled she was. "God's assassin", they called her. _She must be in her 70's now_, he mused, _and probably retired_.

Suddenly, "Michaelangelo."_ Speaking of the assassin_. He turned around to find the sprightly nun shuffling slowly towards him. He flashed a dimpled smile, walked over to her, bent down to kiss her on the forehead. She was stooped with age now, but still sharp and still an unstoppable force.

"Sis Rebecca, how are you these days?"

"Feeling my age," she said, "I just can't help feeling 40." Spike chuckled despite his earlier ill disposition.

"I thought you're already retired."

She huffed, "Retire me, and I'd be dead quicker than you can say 'Good riddance'." She hooked an arm around his and they walked silently, slowly towards the school's park-like grounds. They found what they were looking for. An old bench, withered by time.

He helped her sit down before taking a seat next to her. She patted his hand gently. He noticed the age spots, the gnarled arthitic appearance of the bones and the loose sagging skin. But he also noticed the firmness of her touch that belied the frailty of her health. "So, tell me how have you been?"

She always had her ways of making him talk. So he told her of his most recent dance with death and the story that brought them all at that place and time. Sis Rebecca listened, nodded, and every now and then made small noises until he finished telling her the story.

"I'm not a psychologist by any means," she said, "but I'd like to think that I have lived a life full of she..."

Spike's eyebrow went up and said, "Full of shit?" They cackled until they had tears in their eyes. When the laughter died down, she repeated herself, "I have lived a life full of SHE. S. H. E."

She tilted her face just so, peering into his face, "S.H.E. Significant human experience."

"Significant human experience," he echoed.

The little nun nodded, "George Lee loved his father very much that he couldn't hate him for leaving him. But he's hurting so much he just had to hate someone. So his hate was displaced on you. Hate displacement is what I call it." Sitting next to her and listening to her pass on her wisdom, Spike wondered how in the world he was ever scared of her.

"Don't," she said with conviction, "let hate rule. Don't hate him for what he's done to you and your wife. Oh, how is she, by the way."

Spike sighed and looked into the distance, "We're having a rough patch," he said. "It's been difficult. If I'm angry with George Lee... it's for ruining my relationship with my wife."

"It isn't ruined," she said. "It's being tested."

"How would you know?" he said. "You were never married that's one aspect of life you have no significant human experience."

"Says who?" she said, "I've been married to God for 50 years and have had many arguments with Him; been tempted to dump Him a number of times too. And having married him I've had to have many relationships. Try living with a 100 sister wives, let's see how you'd cope." He chuckled at the thought.

Then just as swiftly, she changed the topic, "What made you fall in love with her?" Spike smiled, he picked up on what she was doing.

"She's beautiful, kind, genuine, loving."

She smiled, "It seems like you've got a great girl. So what seems to be the problem?"

"We're always fighting. And every little thing makes her cry or angry or upset."

Sis Rebecca sighed, "Michaelangelo, you are a scientist, are you not?"

"I wouldn't call myself a scientist," he said, "But I am a student of science."

"I see," she said. "Tell me, do you fight fire with fire?" she asked.

"No," he replied, smiling. Seconds later he said, "Ok, I get it."

The church bell rang as it was struck for a call to prayer. She patted his hand again, "Walk me to the chapel." He helped her up and aided her up to the steps of the chapel. She turned to him and said, "Do you remember the prayer of St Francis of Assisi?"

"I do," he replied.

She smiled, "_There_ is your answer."

"Thanks, Sis Rebecca, I appreciate your time." The little nun patted his hand again with her shriveled little one. "Go your way," she said blessing him.

Spike walked away reciting the prayer of St Francis of Assisi,

_Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.  
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;  
where there is injury,pardon;  
where there is doubt, faith;  
where there is despair, hope;  
where there is darkness, light;  
and where there is sadness, joy._

_O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek_  
_to be consoled as to console;_  
_to be understood as to understand;_  
_to be loved as to love._  
_For it is in giving that we receive;_  
_it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;_  
_and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life._

He walked home. The house was in darkness and eerily quiet. Not even Moppet and Serenity were home. He felt his heart nose dive. He turned on the light and saw a sealed pink envelope on the table. Fearing the worse, he opened it. Little red, cut-out hearts fell out. Inside was a card she made herself, in her neat hand writing, she said, "I'm so sorry I was mean to you. Will you forgive me?" He closed his eyes feeling relieved. He was about to call her when he sensed her presence behind him.

He turned around, "Hey," he said. "I love you" meaning it with all his heart.

"Me, too." She's been crying he could tell. Then she asked, "If there is anything I could do for you right now, what would it be?"

"Just promise me, you won't give up on us... no matter how hard it gets."

She walked towards him, "Promise," she said. Then she gave him something with two pink lines and fell in the embrace of his arms.

**The End**


End file.
